The Essence of the Wisdom gone Beyond

Special expanded translation of The Heart Sutra; Recommended Reading for the ‘To Go Beyond’ course led by Andy Wistreich

September 14 - 24, 2010

Thus I have heard.  Once, the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajgir on Vulture’s Peak, together with a great assembly of monks, and a great assembly of bodhisattvas.  At that time, the Blessed One was absorbed in the concentration called ‘the profound appearance’.  At the same time, the bodhisattva, the great being, the noble Avalokitesvara was contemplating the profound practice of the wisdom gone beyond.  He came to see the five aggregates as empty of any inherent nature of their own.

 Then through the power of the Buddha, the venerable Sariputra spoke to the noble Avalokitesvara saying, “How should a son of the noble lineage train when he wants to practise the profound wisdom gone beyond?”

The noble Avalokitesvara replied to the venerable Sariputra, “Whatever son or daughter of the noble lineage wishes to train in the profound wisdom gone beyond should look at it like this.  First, he or she should clearly and thoroughly comprehend that the five aggregates are empty of any inherent nature of their own.  Form is empty; emptiness is form.  Emptiness is not other than forms and forms are not other than emptiness.  Similarly, feelings are empty; emptiness is feelings.  Emptiness is not other than feelings and feelings are not other than emptiness.  Similarly, discriminations are empty; emptiness is discriminations.  Emptiness is not other than discriminations and discriminations are not other than emptiness.  Similarly, compositional factors are empty; emptiness is compositional factors.  Emptiness is not other than compositional factors and compositional factors are not other than emptiness.  Similarly, consciousness is empty; emptiness is consciousness.  Emptiness is not other than consciousness and consciousness is not other than emptiness.  Likewise, Sariputra, are all phenomena empty.  They have no defining characteristics; they are unproduced; they do not cease; they are undefiled, yet they are not separate from defilement; they do not decrease, yet they do not increase.  Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness is no form, no feelings, no discriminations, no compositional factors, no consciousness; no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no sensory spheres of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind.  There is no consciousness of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind.  There is no ignorance, nor is there annihilation of ignorance; no karmic formations, nor is there annihilation of karmic formations; there is no consciousness, nor is there annihilation of consciousness; there is no name and form, nor is there annihilation of name and form; there are no six sources, nor is there annihilation of six sources; there is no contact, nor is there annihilation of contact; there is no feeling, nor is there annihilation of feeling; there is no craving, nor is there annihilation of craving; there is no grasping, nor is there annihilation of grasping; there is no existence, nor is there annihilation of existence; there is no birth, nor is there annihilation of birth; there is no ageing and death, nor is there annihilation of ageing and death.  Therefore there is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation, and no path; no wisdom, no attainment and no non-attainment.

“Therefore, Sariputra, because there is no attainment, all bodhisattvas hold to the wisdom gone beyond, and because there is no obscuration of mind, they have no fear.  Passing utterly beyond falsity, they reach beyond the bounds of sorrow.

 “All the buddhas abiding in the three times, by relying upon the wisdom gone beyond fully and clearly awaken to the unsurpassable, most perfect and complete enlightenment.

 
“Therefore the mantra of the wisdom gone beyond, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the incomparable mantra, the mantra that completely pacifies all suffering, should be known as the truth, for in it there is no deception.  The mantra of the wisdom gone beyond is proclaimed: tayatha gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.  Sariputra, it is in this way that the great bodhisattvas train themselves in the profound wisdom gone beyond.”

 
At that moment the Blessed One arose from his concentration and said to the noble Avalokitesvara, “Well said, well said.  That is just how it is, my son, just how it is.  The profound wisdom gone beyond should be practised exactly as you have explained it.  Then the tathagatas will be truly delighted.”

 
When the Blessed One had spoken these words, the venerable Sariputra and the bodhisattva, the great being, the noble Avalokitesvara, and the entire gathering of gods, humans, asuras and gandharvas were overjoyed, and praised the words of the Blessed One.